Passing of Rodney Sibuyi

Natural Justice issued a statement mourning the passing of Rodney Sibuyi, the Chief Executive of the Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association, highlighting his leadership in developing biocultural community protocols and advocating for the rights of traditional healers.

• Under the leadership of Rodney Sibuyi, the Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association grew to 350 members and established a governance structure consisting of an Executive Committee, a Management Committee, and several Sub-Committees. The association developed a Code of Ethics and a traditional knowledge commons to seek formal recognition for healers and claim customary rights.
• Rodney Sibuyi worked with Natural Justice to develop a Biocultural Community Protocol for the Kukula, first finalized in late 2009 and revised at the end of 2017. This protocol emphasizes the commitment to community health—including physical, cultural, and spiritual well-being—and the protection of biodiversity to ensure that the use of knowledge and biodiversity directly benefits the Kukula and their communities.
• Sibuyi engaged with various stakeholders to promote the role of healers in biodiversity conservation and the development of Access and Benefit Sharing laws and policies. These stakeholders included the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Environmental Affairs, and the Department of Health, as well as Tribal Authorities.

APA

Martens, C. (2018). Passing of Rodney Sibuyi. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/passing-rodney-sibuyi/

Chicago

Martens, Claire. Passing of Rodney Sibuyi. Natural Justice, 2018. https://naturaljustice.org/passing-rodney-sibuyi/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Martens |first1=Claire |title=Passing of Rodney Sibuyi |publisher=Natural Justice |date=8 February 2018 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/passing-rodney-sibuyi/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{martens2018passing, author = {Martens, Claire}, title = {{Passing of Rodney Sibuyi}}, publisher = {Natural Justice}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/passing-rodney-sibuyi/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }